Modern oil well drilling techniques often involve transmitting drilling data between transmission points along a drill string in real-time; this may occur, for example, when performing measurement-while-drilling (MWD) operations. Various sensory devices may be provided along the drill string so that drilling data such as downhole temperature, downhole pressure, drill bit orientation, drill bit RPM, and formation data are transmitted along the drill string towards the surface or further downhole. For example, the drilling data may be sent to a surface controller that updates drilling parameters using the drilling data in order to improve control and efficiency of the drilling operation.
The sensors and equipment used in the downhole tools that transmit the drilling data are subject to extremes of pressure, temperature, and tension/compression that can damage or destroy those components. As the drilling industry continues to evolve to deeper, hotter wells, it is imperative that the components comprising the downhole tools be designed to survive that environment.